The present disclosure is directed to a container for stowing live fishing bait such as minnows or shrimp. More particularly, it is a type of bait box constructed of an insulative material intended to exclude heat and having a removable lid. The box contains a pump and header with spray nozzles for distributing water. The water is sprayed out of the header through the nozzles back into the lower portions of the chest or housing so that the water is aerated, absorbing oxygen to raise the oxygen concentration in the water. Accordingly, the equipment within the chest or housing includes a submerged pump with a motor, the pump having an inlet and outlet. The inlet is at the bottom surrounded by a screen to exclude trash, and the outlet connects with an upstanding line which connects to the header. The header is clamped to a side wall, supported on appropriate mounting hooks, and has a number of nozzle or spray outlets for water distribution. The apparatus further includes a power system for furnishing electrical power to operate the motor for the pump. The preferred form of the apparatus incorporates a generally rectangular insulated wall chest. It is open at the top end so that a separate lid can be placed over the top, the lid having a surrounding lower lip to nest in the chest, shouldering up to close the interior, and is preferably formed of insulating material. The top surface supports a rectangular array of solar cells typically in a mounting block. The solar cells form output current delivered through a pair of conductors through the lid or top, the conductors extending to the bottom face of the lid. The nether side of the lid is equipped with a pair of conductive metal strips glued to the nether side. In similar fashion, the top internal edge of the chest has a pair of metal strips which are glued or otherwise adhesively attached. They are located so that they match the location of the two metal strips on the lid. When the lid is placed on the chest, the pairs of strips match and contact, forming an electrical contact. So to speak, the lid fits snuggly into the chest to assure suitable metal to metal contact by the strips. This provides current transfer from solar cells on the lid through the metal strip contacts and then to the motor for operation. No switch is required in the system because the lid can be removed to break the circuit. The lid can be installed so that the metal strips do not make contact.
The aeration of the water in continued fashion raises and sustains the oxygen concentration in the water so that live bait in the bait container will live much longer. Conveniently, the fishermen can easily remove the lid which momentarily breaks the circuit, reach into the container, retrieve live bait as needed, and thereafter reinstall t he lid. External heat is excluded, keeping the water cooler and enabling fresh water to sustain the life of the bait much longer. If fact, in the absence of aerated water and without regard to thermal insulation provided by the present disclosure, the bait will simply not live very long. Even worse, should one of the minnows or shrimp die, without aeration, the remainder will typically die very quickly as a result of the death of the first.
Many advantages and virtues will be noted regarding the present apparatus. It is intended to be a lightweight container system for water for holding live bait. The weight which is added to the system is minimal. In particular, heavy batteries are not needed or required. In particular, electrical power is furnished continuously so long as there is external illumination for the system. External illumination is furnished normally by sunlight so that the bait box in ordinary use is simply exposed to the sun. Even cloud cover does not seriously reduce aeration of the water.
While the foregoing speaks generally of the present apparatus, details of construction and features of the apparatus will become more readily apparent upon the consideration of the detailed description in conjunction with the drawings which is found below: